2025 has been a year for huge box-office successes and studios taking risks with high-budget original features (with some highly underrated films—a list we’ll cover on a later date). As of December 29, Hollywood has brought in $8.5 billion dollars at the box office from 665 releases, a figure slightly down from last year but keeping steady to warrant more theatrical releases in 2026.

For now, let’s jump right in with our best 15 films of 2025 (alphabetically).

1. Bring Her Back

‘Bring Her Back’ follows step-siblings Andy and Piper, who, after their father’s death, are placed with a grieving foster mother secretly using occult rituals to resurrect her dead daughter by turning Piper into a vessel. Directed by Australian YouTubers-turned-filmmakers twins Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou, the film stands out for its emotionally driven, modern horror, blending psychological dread, disturbing body horror, and a powerful focus on sibling survival, making it a gripping watch for fans of intense, character-focused horror.

And what a stunning performance by Sally Hawkins…

2. Bugonia

‘Bugonia’ is a darkly comic sci-fi thriller about two conspiracy-obsessed young men who kidnap a powerful pharmaceutical CEO, convinced she is an alien intent on destroying Earth, only for their delusions to spiral into something far more dangerous and revealing. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, the film thrives on sharp satire, unsettling tone, and provocative exploration of paranoia, power, and modern conspiracy culture, blending absurd humor with psychological tension in a way that’s distinctive, uncomfortable, and unmistakably Lanthimos.

3. Hamnet

‘Hamnet’ is a lyrical historical drama inspired by Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, focusing on Agnes and William Shakespeare as they endure the devastating loss of their young son, Hamnet, and the quiet ways grief reshapes their marriage, family, and art. Directed by Chloé Zhao, the film is an intimate, poetic approach to loss and love, favoring emotional depth and naturalistic beauty over traditional biopic storytelling, making it a moving, contemplative experience for viewers drawn to character-driven, emotionally resonant cinema.

4. Homebound

‘Homebound’ is an Indian drama that follows two childhood friends from a rural village whose bond is tested as they chase stability, dignity, and a better future amid social pressure and personal compromise. Director Neeraj Ghaywan gives this story a quiet emotional power, grounded performances, and sensitive exploration of class, friendship, unfulfilled ambition, and India’s caste system — offering a deeply human story that resonates through its realism and restraint.

5. It Was Just an Accident

From director Jafar Panahi, ‘It Was Just an Accident’ is a tense Iranian drama about an ordinary incident that spirals into a moral and political reckoning, exposing how fear, authority, and personal responsibility collide under an oppressive system. The film offers a sharp social commentary, using minimalism and quiet tension to deliver a powerful, human portrait of guilt, survival, and resistance that lingers long after it ends.

6. Late Shift

‘Late Shift’ is a Swiss-German drama directed by Petra Volpe that follows Floria (played by Leonie Benesch), a deeply dedicated nurse navigating a relentlessly demanding late shift in a chronically understaffed hospital ward. As she cares for a range of patients and juggles the emotional and physical pressures of her job, the shift spirals into an intense, high-stakes experience that reflects the real-world challenges facing healthcare workers today. Benesch’s compelling central performance acts as an immersive portrayal of frontline medical work. ‘Late Shift’s’ blend of human drama and real-world commentary gives audiences a gripping and empathetic look at the unseen toll what a nurse endures.

7. Left-Handed Girl

‘Left-Handed Girl’ is a tender, slice-of-life drama centered on a young girl growing up in contemporary Taiwan as she navigates family expectations, quiet rebellion, and the small moments that shape identity. Directed by Shih-Ching Tsou, the film holds on our list for its naturalistic storytelling and emotional subtlety, offering an intimate portrait of childhood, cultural pressure, and self-expression that unfolds with warmth, realism, and rising tension to an explosive (and earned) climax.

8. Marty Supreme

‘Marty Supreme’ is a high-octane sports drama inspired by the life of legendary table-tennis hustler Marty Reisman, following a fiercely competitive outsider as he rises through the underground world of ping-pong while battling ego, obsession, and the cost of greatness. With Josh Safdie at the helm and Timothée Chalamet leading, the film breathes with kinetic intensity that elevates its character focus — turning an unconventional sport into a gripping portrait of ambition and self-destruction.

9. Nouvelle Vague

‘Nouvelle Vague’ is a stylish meta-cinematic drama that chronicles the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s 1960 cinema-altering classic ‘Breathless,’ capturing the spirit, rebellion, and creative chaos that defined the birth of the French New Wave. Director Richard Linklater crafts the ultimate hangout movie—the likes not seen since ‘Dazed and Confused’—offering naturalistic performances and a deep love for filmmaking itself. It’s both a tribute to film history and an exploration of artistic freedom, experimentation, and youthful ambition.

10. One Battle After Another

‘One Battle After Another’ focuses on a group of ex-revolutionaries grappling with the long-term consequences of their past activism as old conflicts resurface in unexpected ways. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, the film is praiseworthy for dense character work, moral complexity, and Anderson’s trademark blend of intimate emotion and sharp social observation, offering a thoughtful, tension-filled look at ideals, purpose, and identity.

The film also has the best car chase in modern memory…

11. Sentimental Value

‘Sentimental Value’ is an intimate family drama about adult siblings forced to confront unresolved grief, memory, and emotional distance when their estranged father reenters their lives, reopening old wounds tied to art, love, and legacy. Directed by Joachim Trier and starring Renate Reinsve, the film contains a tender emotional precision, naturalistic performances, and Trier’s deeply human exploration of how the past lingers within families, making it a poignant, character-driven experience that resonates long after it ends.

12. Sinners

To call ‘Sinners’ unique is an understatement. Director Ryan Coogler unleashed a dark, genre-bending horror-thriller set in the 1932 Mississippi Delta American South, where twin brothers return to their hometown only to confront a sinister supernatural evil—exploring themes of racism, religion, and generations of culture and trauma personified through music. With a bold fusion of horror and social commentary, striking atmosphere, and intense character focus, ‘Sinners’ is a provocative and emotionally charged take on evil, survival, and identity.

13. Sirāt

‘Sirāt’ is a hypnotic road drama that follows a father and son traveling across the Moroccan desert in search of a missing daughter, a journey that slowly transforms into a spiritual and emotional reckoning. Directed by Óliver Laxe, the film is a worthy addition to our list for its austere beauty, meditative pacing, and immersive use of landscape, blending realism and transcendence into a powerful exploration of grief, faith, and human endurance.

14. The Ugly Stepsister

‘The Ugly Stepsister’ is a body-horror-infused reimagining of the classic Cinderella fairy tale seen through the eyes of Elvira, a young woman obsessed with winning the love of a prince and desperately competing with her beautiful stepsister by resorting to extreme—and often gruesome—measures in a brutal world where beauty is everything. Written and directed by Emilie Blichfeldt, the film offers a fresh and bold blend of dark comedy and devastating visceral horror, turning familiar fantasy into a disturbing yet thought-provoking commentary on body image and societal expectations, all anchored by strong performances and striking visuals.

Lea Myren gives one of the years best performances…

15. Train Dreams

‘Train Dreams’ is a lyrical historical drama adapted from Denis Johnson’s novella, following Robert Grainier, a quiet logger in the early 20th-century American West whose solitary life is shaped by love, loss, and a rapidly changing world. Director Clint Bentley lends the film a meditative tone, striking natural imagery, and restrained emotional power, offering a haunting reflection on masculinity, impermanence, and the passage of time that unfolds with poetic simplicity. Joel Edgerton elevates the film in its entirety with a tender yet emotionally devastating portrayal of longing and grief.

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